Recent Champions

A Tradition of Excellence

Each year, members of the Society gather together at our International Convention and celebrates harmony through song. The competitions that take place each year at this convention (and the Midwinter conventions) are just one way we all celebrate this unique life-changing hobby of ours, and we dedicate these pages to the hard work and effort these championship groups put forth to give back to Barbershop everything they put into it.

International Quartet Champions

2018 - After Hours

Learn more about After Hours

Members:

Tim Beutel, Drew Ochoa, Bryan Ziegler, Dan Wessler

Flawless harmonies and jazzy interpretation propelled After Hours to the pinnacle of a cappella singing, as it captured the 2018 international quartet championship of the Barbershop Harmony Society on Saturday, July 7 in Orlando.

Singing a range of songs from Broadway including “Butter Outta Cream” from Catch Me If You Can, “The Next Ten Minutes” from The Last Five Years, and classics like “Honeysuckle Rose,” the quartet posted the highest winning score in the history of the annual competition, now in its 80th year.

2017 - Main Street

Members:Roger Ross, Tony De Rosa, Mike McGee, Myron Whittlesey

In 2011 at the International Convention in Kansas City, a quartet based out of Florida named Main Street took the stage and immediately set themselves apart from the crowd. They took many combined years of experience singing together at Disney World, combined it with Vaudeville-style eyeroll-worthy joke-infused hilarity, threw in some smooth choreographed toe-tapping dance moves, and topped it off with a beautiful, rich, warm sound that wowed the audience and brought home a bronze medal in only their first contest.

The dapper gentlemen of Main Street certainly did paid their dues on the contest stage, however. They finished 5th in 2011, then 5th in 2012, then 4th in 2013, then 3rd in 2014, then 3rd in 2015. Then 3rd… AGAIN… in 2016, and finally gold in Vegas in 2017. While their winning contest sets in Vegas were magical for them and the audience, all their work on the contest stage in past years hasn’t gone unnoticed. Their “Pop Songs Medley” in 2015 in Pittsburgh, for example, struck a chord with the audience as well as the internet with their YouTube video going viral, quickly becoming one of the most popular barbershop videos of all time.

Congratulations to Main Street, a quartet with grace, charm, style, and a sound that will no doubt set them apart for years to come.

2016 - Forefront

For the third year in a row, the newly crowned Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Champion contains a set of brothers, proving yet one more time that when it comes to lock and ring, family does indeed matter. These gentlemen finally took home the coveted prize after finishing 5th in 2013, 2nd in 2014, then 2nd again in 2015.

It was a championship forged in the fires of persistence and determination, showing that dedication to the craft truly pays off. In the past year particularly, their friendship with 2015 champ quartet Instant Classic had strengthened which lead to many artistic collaborations on concert stages and in the recording studio. Also critical to their success were the relationships they had formed with several coaches and mentors that helped an already magnificently fine-tuned quartet make even further strides in their singing technique and emotional vulnerability that brought more genuine emotion to the International stage for them than ever before.

It was a thrilling victory for Forefront after several years of coming in an extremely close second, and finally in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena they hoisted the championship trophy as gold medalists.

2015 - Instant Classic

In one of the biggest leaps in ranking in recent memory, Instant Classic jumped from an 8th place finish in 2014 to winning it all in 2015. With a smooth, vibrant, and youthful sound, Instant Classic delivered consistently thrilling and heartfelt performances, winning the hearts and minds of the audience as well as earning the highest overall score by an esteemed panel of judges over three rounds during one of the most intense and closest quartet competitions seen in many years at International.

Bass clef brothers Kyle and Kohl Kitzmiller proved once again that family does matter when it comes to achieving world-class lock and ring, and David Zimmerman put a virtuosic tenor flare on top of it all while the incomparable lead Theo Hicks executed powerfully emotional and electric performances that moved every member of the audience in attendance.

2014 - Musical Island Boys

The North American tradition of barbershop harmony became more global in Las Vegas, as the pride of New Zealand, The Musical Island Boys finally win gold after twelve years together as a foursome.

After three consecutive 2nd place Silver Medalists placements Musical Island Boys became only the second non-North American quartet to win the gold medal. They are Tenor Jeff Hunkin, lead Marcellus Washburn, bass Matt Gifford, and bari Will Hunkin.

2013 - Masterpiece

Three past-champion singers plus a hot young lead combined to bring MASTERPIECE the gold medals in Saturday’s world championship competition in Toronto.

Singing music ranging from Kathy Mattea’s “Where’ve You Been” to American classics “Tennessee Waltz” and “Sweet Lucy Brown,” the quartet emerged from a pack of fifty quartets at the contest, held at the 75th Anniversary Convention of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

International Chorus Champions

From the first "invitational" in '53, to the first "official" contest in '54, the International Chorus Contest lives up to its billing as "The Greatest Show On Earth." Click here to see the full list!

2018 - Vocal Majority

Learn more about Vocal Majority

The Vocal Majority men’s chorus of Dallas reclaimed the gold medals that eluded them last year, as they captured the 2018 international championship of the Barbershop Harmony Society on Friday, July 6 in Orlando.

The tender ballad “What I Did For Love” from A Chorus Line and “Don’t Rain On My Parade” from Funny Girl with extravagant choreography propelled the 153 -man chorus to its 13th world championship, the most ever in barbershop competition. It was a return to form for the Dallas dynasty, outpacing second place rivals Westminster Chorus by a comfortable 1.5% margin.

2017 - Masters of Harmony

The Masters of Harmony from Santa Fe Spring, CA are champions once more. Under the direction of Justin Miller, MoH delivered an absolutely blistering performance that shook the walls of The Axis in Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

This is the 9th gold medal for the Masters of Harmony, and the first under the direction of Justin Miller who already has several gold medals as director of the Westminster Chorus just down the road.

2016 - Ambassadors of Harmony

Once again, under the direction of Jim Henry and Jonny Moroni, the Ambassadors of Harmony from St. Louis, MO dazzled the audience with world-class entertainment and impeccable singing and earned themselves the chorus gold medal at the International competition in Nashville, TN.

This is the 4th gold medal for AoH, having won before in 2004, 2009, and 2012.

2015 - Westminster Chorus

Under the direction of Justin Miller, the Westminster Chorus delivered a breathtaking performance at the International Convention in Pittsburgh, PA to win their third gold medal, demonstrating absolute vocal ensemble mastery and world-class artistic performance excellence. This is Westminster Chorus' third gold medal since their first victory in 2007, and the second gold medal under Justin Miller's direction.

2014 - Vocal Majority

Under the direction of Greg Clancy, the mighty Vocal Majority secured their record-setting 12th gold medal in Las Vegas, further galvanizing their already cemented legacy as one of the all time greatest male singing organizations in the world. Since forming in 1974 up until 2013, they had been led by the incomparable and legendary Jim Clancy who besides being a world-class musical director is also a prolific arranger and musical mentor to countless others.

Making the VM's victory in Las Vegas even sweeter is the fact that, after leading the VM for nearly 40 years, Jim handed over the directoral reins to his son Greg who led the chorus to their twelfth gold medal. The tradition of excellence is ingrained in the Vocal Majority's DNA, both musically and literally!

2013 - Toronto Northern Lights

Singing a hilarious medley of parody songs set in a vegetable garden, Toronto's Northern Lights Chorus captured the gold medal in the international barbershop chorus contest in their own home town.

"The Age of Asparagus," "Corn Free," "Lettuce Entertain You" and "Beet It" were among the classics lampooned by the 73-member chorus, which has earned second place five times in the past.

Toronto beat the Westminster Chorus by a mere 2 points, 2831-2829, a mere 0.06% margin. It is the first win in the chorus contest by a non-U.S. chorus since the Scarborough Dukes Of Harmony captured titles in 1977 and 1980.

More than 1600 singers participated in the contest, held at the 75th Anniversary convention of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

Seniors Quartet Champions

2019 - DoubleDouble

Learn More about DoubleDouble

Members:

Tenor: Bobby Gibson

Lead: John Mallett

Baritone: Perry Wildfong

Bass: Dave Feltrin

DoubleDouble, from the Ontario District, took home the gold at the 2019 Midwinter Convention on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. With a comedic, unconventional set, DoubleDouble won over the audience AND the judges.

2018 - St. Croix Crossing

Members:

Randy Lieble, Dan Heike, Steve Hardy, Jared Hoke

After six near-misses, St. Croix Crossing took home gold at the Senior's Quartet championship at the 2018 Midwinter convention in California.

Despite this exciting win, the Seniors champs say that the best parts of convention happen offstage. Jared Hoke, Bass, says, "We’re discovering that the best thing of all is the wonderful warmth and support we are feeling coming back to us from so many in the Land O’ Lakes District. So many were pulling for us, and now they are cheering, and we are humbled and grateful and so glad to be a part of the World’s Greatest Hobby. It's GREAT to be a Barbershopper!"

2017 - Party of Five

Party of Five is an a cappella barbershop quartet committed to sharing the joy in their journey of friendship and ringing chords with people of all ages, and believes that supporting youth in harmony is the key to future generations of happy, healthy singers. There is always room at the Party for one more, for a song, a tag, or a good story.

Party of Five was formed in October 2015 and proudly represents the Mid-Atlantic District of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Their smooth warm sound and heartfelt delivery come across the footlights to invite you on their journey. You’ll be glad you joined the Party!

2016 - High Priority

High Priority formed in April, 2014 and fairly quickly won the 2014 AZ & Far Western District SENIORS Championships that fall, then went on the win the silver medal in 2015 in New Orleans at the International Seniors Quartet Contest.

Just one year later they were finally crowned Seniors Quartet Champions at the 2016 Midwinter Convention in Reno. High Priority is Ray Estes – Tenor, Byron Bennett – Lead, Mark House – Baritone, and Dan Davenport – Bass.

2015 - Saturday Evening Post

Hailing from the Rocky Mountain District, Saturday Evening Post (otherwise known as SEP) has a long and rich history of performing all over the world entertaining audiences far and wide with their unique brand of barbershop harmony. SEP has also enjoyed a very successful career in the Society’s International Quartet Contest, having won a bronze medal in the 2004 contest in Louisville. Singers Brian Beck and Bobby Gray also have won gold medals with their past quartets, Bobby with The New Tradition (’85), and Brian with Dealer’s Choice (’73) and Side Street Ramblers (’83).

Under various combinations of singers (and a few monikers), SEP competed for many years before focusing primarily on generously giving their talents back to their communities through fantastically entertaining shows and appearances at educational events and festivals.

Saturday Evening Post came out of “contest retirement” one more time to compete and win the 2015 Seniors Quartet Championship, and we’re glad they did!

We have experienced two incredible and very busy years together on both competition and show stages, as well as numerous private performances including: Baseballtown at First Energy Stadium with the Reading Fightin Phillies, the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts 2013, and a very moving volunteer performance at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital as representatives of the Musicians On Call program.

This past January in Long Beach, CA., we were humbled and very proud to be named the Barbershop Harmony Society 2014 International Senior Quartet champions. We look forward to representing our chapters,the Mid-Atlantic District, and the entire BHS during this upcoming year, and hope to see many of you at a future convention or performing at your chapter show.

2013 - Border Patrol

Border Patrol, a truly International Seniors Barbershop Quartet from the Toronto and New York areas, won the gold medal Saturday, January 12 at the Annual Barbershop Harmony Society Midwinter Convention, held in Orlando Florida.

Consisting of Ron Mason from Irving, NY, Bob Fuest from Warsaw, NY, Al Baker from Mt. Hope, Ontario and Bobby Gibson of Toronto, the quartet triumphed over twenty-seven other quartets from all over the world. Their set included “Stars Fell on Alabama” and “Each Time I Fall in Love”. Speaking for the group, Baker commented, “This year, instead of going out there to ‘win’, our goal was just to provide the audience with an emotional experience. We felt that if we did that, the contest would take care of itself.” They definitely achieved both goals with a score of 73.1%, while the other medalists topped out at 71.7%.

Youth Barbershop Quartet Champions

A tradition since the first Youth Barbershop Quartet Contest (originally called the Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Contest) in 1992. Click here to see the full list!

2018 - Frontier

Learn more about Frontier

Members:

Chris Cordle, Aaron Pollard, Brandon Smith, Cody Harrell

Frontier, a quartet from Michigan, beat out 19 other young quartets from around the world to capture the Next Generation Barbershop Varsity Quartet Contest Wednesday evening in Orlando. The contest was held at the Barbershop Harmony Society’s 80th annual convention.

Singing “Evermore” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and a comedic rendition of “Do You Know The Muffin Man,” the quartet posted A-level scores comparable to those in the open division contest, which opened on Tuesday. This was the third year in competition for Frontier, which last year finished in sixth place.

2017 - Flightline

Members:

Oscar Sotelo, Daniel Huitt, Marcus Kang, Kyle Williamson

Flightline first came together as members of the BoomTown youth chorus in 2013, and has since become one of the top quartets in Southern California. Through their time singing together, they’ve had the privilege to sing in both the Westminster Chorus and the Masters of Harmony, with one member (Marcus) even singing in Vocal Majority in Dallas. Since 2014 they have earned three medals in the Youth Barbershop Quartet Contest, finally winning gold in Las Vegas in 2017. In 2015, they took home the Dealers Choice Award and the 1st place trophy in the FWD making them District Champs. The quartet loves singing, performing, leading youth workshops, and sharing their music with the world.

2016 - Pratt Street Power

Originating from Baltimore, MD, Pratt Street Power wowed a full house at the world-class Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, TN to become the 2016 International Youth Barbershop Quartet Champion. PSP is Tenor Vincent Sandroni, Lead Ed Schubel, Baritone Ben Hawker, and Bass Darren Schmidt.

2015 - Trocadero

For the fourth time in eight years, a Swedish affiliate collegiate quartet from SNOBS (Society of Nordic Barbershoppers) brought the collegiate trophy home to Stockholm. On June 3, 2015 at the beautiful Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, PA, Trocadero won the gold medal as the best collegiate quartet of 2015 and demonstrated once again the ever-growing reputation for vocal excellence our SNOBS affiliate is instilling and delivering to audiences around the world.

2014 - The Academy

On July 1, 2014 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, The Academy won the gold medal as the best collegiate quartet of 2014. In this installment of our "Championship Performance" YouTube series, The Academy sings a David Wright arrangement of the 19th century ballad "Beautiful Dreamer."

The foundation of their barbershop success has been as members of the Westminster Chorus, a two-time barbershop champ that sought its third gold medal, but was edged by Toronto's Northern Lights Chorus. "We haven't spent a lot of time with coaches," said tenor Joey Buss. "Because singing with the chorus every week is like a clinic in barbershop excellence."

As champion, the quartet earns bragging rights, notoriety, and a springboard to the big contest, which has increasingly been dominated by past college champions, and offshore quartets such as 2013 champs Ringmasters, natives of Stockholm, Sweden.